Concrete deaerating and dehydrating machine



Dec. 24, 1940. J. w. HELTZEL CONCRETE DEAERATING AND DEHYDRAIING MACHINE Filed Nov. 19, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 1 3mm.- T JOSEPH W/LL/AM H51 TZEL,

1940- J. w. HELTZEL CONCRETE DEAERATING AND DEHYDRATiNG MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 19

Dec. 24, 1940.

'J. W. HELTZEL CONCRETE DEAERATING AND DEHYDRATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 19, 1937 J 055 /1 W/LL/AMfiELTZEL,

quill! 71 Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONCRETE DEAERATING AND DEHYDRAT- IN G MACHINE Joseph William Heltzel, Warren, Ohio Application November 19, 1937, Serial No. 175,508

7 Claims. (01. 94--45) This invention relates to road making devices beams l2 and 3 and are mounted on shafts l3 and more particularly to a device for use with a and H. The carriage structure I is adapted to concrete road making machine which is so conbe connected to a screeding machine and to be structed as to simultaneously smooth and compulled along therewith.

5 pact the concrete. A surface smoothing plate member, generally 5 An object of this invention is to provide a madesignated as i8, is disposed between the end chine which is adapted to follow the usual screedbars of the frame, and comprises a front section ing machine and which is adapted to smooth the life and a rear section I82). The front section |8a surface of the concrete while, at the same time, is provided at its forward edge with an upturned 10 removing air and water from the concrete so as edge portion #3 and the rear section I8?) is pro 10 to compact the concrete and eliminate voids. vided at its rear edge with an upwardly offset Another object of this invention is to provide a portion 20. A pair of elongated bars 2| and 22 deaerating and a dehydrating machine which folare disposed adjacent the forward and rear edges loWs the screeding machine and is constructed to respectively, of the plate sections la and I827, smooth the surface of the concrete behind the respectively, and are secured thereto by means screeding machine so that it will not be necessary of adjustable bolts 23 and 24, respectively. Into use manual labor in the smoothing operation. termediate parallel bars 25 and 2B are secured as A further object of this invention is to provide by bolts 21 and 28, respectively, to the intermedia surfacing device which includes means for withate or substantially central portion of the plate drawing air from the concrete and also Withl8, and these adjusting bolts 23, 24, 21 and 28, 20 drawing water while, at the same time, subjecting are adapted to provide a transverse bend in the the plastic material to constant vibrations to asplate l8 which conforms to the desired crown to sist in the formation of a compact body which be made on the road surface. A plurality of conupon becoming hardened will have increased necting beams 29 connect the beams 2|, 22, strength over bodies which have not been comand 26, together. 25 pacted. A pair of plate supporting and adjusting shafts With the foregoing and other objects in view, 30 and 3| are journalled in standards 32 and 33, the invention will be more fully described hereinrespectively, and the shaft 3| is provided at each after, and will be more particularly pointed out in end thereof with a relatively large hand wheel 30 the claims appended hereto. 34. A ratchet 35 is secured to the shaft 3|, and 30 In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to a pawl 36 is carried by the standard 33 and enlike or corresponding parts throughout the sevgages the ratchet 35 so as to hold the shaft 3| in eral views: adjusted position. A pair of chains or flexible Figure 1 is a top plan of a deaerating and demembers 31 are wound about the shaft 3| ad- 35 hydrating machine constructed according to an jacent each end thereof and the chains or flexible embodiment of this invention. members 31 have a free end secured to the beam Figure 2 is a sectional view partly in detail 22. The shaft 33 has a flexible member or chain taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. 38 wound thereabout, there being one chain 38 Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line adjacent each end of the shaft 33 and the free 33 of Figure 2. ends of the chains 33 are secured to the front 40 Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken e s Preferably, a Spring 39 is interposed on the line 4-4 of Figure 2. in the chain 3l anda spring 40 is interposed in Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional each chain 38 so that the plate structure I8 is view taken on the line 55 of Figure 4. yieldably supported from the shafts 30 and 3|.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing A sprocket 4| is secured to the shaft 36 ad- 45 the voids in the plastic material before complee jacent one end thereof and a similar sprocket 4| tion of the smoothing operation. is secured to the shaft 30 adjacent the opposite Referring to the drawings, and first to Figure 1, end thereof. A pair of sprockets 42 are secured the numeral l0 designates generally a carriage to the shaft 35 adjacent each end thereof and an structure comprising transverse beams disendless chain 43 engages about the sprockets 4| 50 posed in parallel relation and connected together and 42 so that rotation of the shaft 30 by the at the ends thereof by pairs of end beams i2 and hand wheel 33 will simultaneously rotate the l3. The end beams l2 and I3 are disposed in shaft 3! so as to raise or lower the plate l8 or spaced apart parallel relation and a pair of yieldingly support the plate I8 for desired conwheels l4 and i5 are positioned between the end tact with the surface of the plastic concrete. 55

A shaft 44 is journalled in bearings 45 carried by the end beam members I2 and a plurality of vibrating members in the form of eccentric discs 46 are secured to the shaft 44. The vibration is caused entirely by the centrifugal eccentric force of the members 46. A drive shaft 41 is rotatably supported above the driven shaft 44, being journalled in bearings 48, and pairs of pulleys 49 are secured to the drive shaft 41. A pair of pulleys 58 are secured to the driven shaft 44 and a belt is trained over alined pulleys 49 and 58 so that rotation of the driven shaft 44 is effected by rotation of the drive shaft 41. A power member 52 is supported on a platform 53 which is mounted on a pair of intermediate supporting beams 54. The power member 52 is connected to a reduction gear 55 and a worm gear 56 secured to the drive shaft 41 is connected to the reduction gear 55 through a worm 51.

The plate I8 is provided at a point substantially midway between the front and rear edges thereof with an elongated vacuum chamber 58 which is open on the underside of the plate I8. This vacuum chamber 58 at the ends thereof terminates inwardly of the opposite ends of the plate I8 as shown in Figures 4 and 5. Preferably, the rear wall of the vacuum chamber 58 is curved, as at 59, so that no plastic material will be collected in the chamber 58 as the plate I8 is moved forwardly along the plastic concrete.

A vacuum pump 68 is mounted on the platform 53 and is operated by the power member 52 through a belt or flexible drive member 6| which engages over a pulley 62 mounted on the drive shaft 41 and a pulley 63 mounted on a shaft 64 which forms a part of the pump 68. The intake side of the pump 68 is connected by means of a suction pipe 65 to a suction manifold 66 extending longitudinally of the vacuum chamber 58 and connected thereto by a plurality of connections 61 or the like. The discharge side of the pump -68 is connected to a discharge pipe 68 which extends downwardly from the pump 68 and is connected to a discharge manifold 69 which discharges through the upwardly offset portion 28 at the rear of the plate I8. In this manner, the water which is drawn up from the vacuum chamber 58 will pass through the pump 68 and then be discharged at the rear edge of the plate I8 where it will form a seal at the rear edge of the plate I8. The vacuum chamber 58 terminates inwardly of the opposite ends of the plate I8 for the purpose of preventing any voids or pockets adjacent the marginal edges of the concrete from breaking the vacuum and thus impairing the effectiveness of the suction or vacuum chamber. In order to remove the air and water in the plastic concrete outwardly of the ends of the vacuum chamber I8, I have provided a pair of end manifolds which are connected to the plate I8 by means of connecting members H which are connected to relatively small holes in the plate l8 beyond the ends of the suction chamber 58. The holes in the plate I8 to which the nipples or connecting members 1| are connected are of such a size that none of the material of which the roadway is constructed will be drawn into the manifold 18. T e ends of the plate I8 are also provided with dependent flanges 12 which act to prevent any air from passing beneath the ends of the plate I8 to break the suction force in either the suction chamber 8 or the outer suction manifolds 18.

In the use and operation of this device, the frame I8 is adapted to be connected by any suitable connections to the screeding machine and the wheels I4 are adapted to ride over the side form members 13 which are disposed along the opposite edges of the roadway. The tension of the Plate I8 upon the plastic concrete C is adjusted through the hand Wheel 34 and the flexible members 31 and 38. The power member 52 will operate the pump 68 at the desired speed and at the same time will rotate the vibrating shaft 44 so as to effect vibration of the plate I8 simultaneous with the movement of the plate I8 along the surface of the plastic material. As the plate I8 is vibrated by means of the vibrating members 46 and, at the same time, is moved longitudinally of the roadway along the side forms 13, the water in the plastic material will be drawn to the surface and will be drawn up into the suction chamber 58. The vibration of the plate I8 will tend to pack the plastic material and any air existing in the form of voids will also be eliminated by being drawn up into the vacuum chamber 58 and the suction manifold 18. During the movement of the plate I 8 over the surface of the plastic concrete, the water drawn to the surface of the material will be disposed in the chamber 58 and will act as a sealing means for the lower open side thereof.

In Figure 6 there are shown a number of voids V which appear in the upper surface of the con crete C. These voids V are gradually smoothed out by the plate I8 as the plate I8 moves along the plastic concrete. The vacuum chamber 58 is terminated short of the adjacent edges of the plate I8 so that the extension or bridging portion thereof will bridge over any voids at the ends of the chamber 58 and prevent breaking of the suction in the chamber 58. The downturned flange 12 will also assist the bridging portion 15 in preventing breaking of the vacuum in chamber 58.

The water drawn up by the pump 68 will be discharged at the rear edge of the plate I8 by the discharge pipe 68 so that an eifective seal is provided at the rear edge of the smoothing plate I8. The weight of the plate I8 and the parts secured thereto are such as to thoroughly compact the plastic concrete, and the vibration of the plate I8 will tend to bring the air in the voids to the upper surface of the material and will also cause the excess water in the plastic material to rise to the upper surface.

When it is desired to lift the plate I8 from the plastic material, the vacuum in the chamber 58 may be broken by means of valve members 14 which are connected to the vacuum chamber 58 adjacent the ends thereof and are manually operated.

A device constructed according to this invention will thoroughly compact the plastic material immediately following the screeding machine, so that it will not be necessary to provide any means in the form of straight edging devices or surface smoothing devices, to either smooth or compact the plastic material. The surface configuration of the plastic material is determined by the transverse bend of the plate I8 effected by means of the adjusting bolts 23, 24, 21 and 28, and as the flanges 12 at the ends of the plate I8 are relatively short, the grooves formed thereby need not be filled in; because in hand belting the grooves will be filled in automatically through such operation. If desired the plate I8 may have a width equal to the distance between the side forms 13 so that the flanges 12 will contact with the forms 13.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for the treatment of plastic roads under construction comprising a carriage, a double smoothing plate disposed below the carriage and having a grooved chamber between the two portions of the double smoothing plate, means to exhaust air from said grooved chamber, and supporting means for supporting said plate from said carriage, said supporting means including a plurality of flexible members, and a spring interposed in the length of each member whereby to yieldably support said plate in adjusted position relative to said carriage.

2. A device as described comprising a weighted plate portion for resting upon the surface of a plastic road under construction and for compacting and smoothing the same and driving the water and air upwardly from the plastic mass, means behind said plate portion for withdrawing the liberated air and water from the plastic road surface, a second rear plate portion following said means and. subjecting the plastic mass to Weight and pressure to break down the cell walls and to compact the mass, means for drawing said plate portions and said means along the surface of the roadway in a continuous operation, and means for subjecting both plate portions to a substantially continuous vibration.

3. A device as described comprising a wide and long heavy plate portion resting directly onthe surface of the plastic roadway under construction for smoothing and compacting the plastic material and driving the water and air to the surface, vacuum means for withdrawing the air and water at the rear edge of said plate portion, a second plate portion wide and long following said vacuum means and being of substantial weight and resting directly on the surface of the plastic tinuously to vibratory action, and meanstfor drawing both plate portions and said vacuum means along the surface of the plastic material in a continuous operation.

4. A device as described comprising a smoothing and compacting plate portion lying along and movable along the surface of a plastic road under construction, a second smoothing and compacting plate portion resting directly on the surface of the plastic road behind the first plate portion and separated therefrom, vacuum means between the plate portions for withdrawing the air and water from the plastic material, and means for depositing water at the rear portion of the rear plate to seal the same.

5. In a device of the kind described, a weighted smoothing plate resting directly upon the wet concrete, a vacuum chamber at an intermediate part of the plate, means for creating vacuum in said chamber, means for drawing the plate along slowly in a substantially rectilinear direction, and means for introducing water downwardly upon the concrete immediately in rear of said plate and in seal forming relation thereto across the width of the plate.

6. In a device for making plastic roads, a carriage movable along the road, a plate member being freely suspended from said carriage and adapted to be directly supported onthe plastic road, and vacuum means carried by an intermediate portion of the plate for withdrawing air and Water from the plastic concrete.

7. In a device for making roads of plastic material, a carriage movable along the road, a plate member wholly supported from the carriage and adjustable therewith adapted to rest directly on the plastic material, and a vacuum chamber carried by an intermediate part of the plate for withdrawing air and Water from the plastic material of the road.

JOSEPH WILLIAM HELTZEL. 

